Delilah stopped short at the entrance to the library. Someone stood at the door in front of her, waiting to go in too it would seem. “Canter?”
“Hey.” He glanced over his shoulder. “What in the world are you doing here?” he asked, turning around toward her.
“Same thing as you, maybe?” She moved up beside him and knocked on the door. “How long have you been here?”
“A few seconds.” He slipped his hands into his pockets and glanced down at the ground. “I had terrible dreams last night. I don’t know why, but I stood at the beginning of time and watched the fall.”
“Did you?” Delilah reached up and cupped the base of her neck. The air thickened, and it seemed so much harder to get a deep breath than it had moments before. “Do you remember the details?”
“No.” He glanced up as the door cracked opened. “I wanted to see what I could find.”
“Names!” A high-pitched female voice echoed around them.
“Delilah Miller. Only child of Sage Miller. Huntress of the church.”
“Theodore Canter Jackson. Ward of the church. Son of God.”
“Enter!” The door opened fully, and Sister Nancy nodded. “Good to see you both. It’s been a while.”
The large woman had a warm smile on her face which reached her eyes. She had a feeling, an emotion she gave off, perhaps a way of moving that immediately put Canter at ease. Not having a mother growing up, she was someone he might have chosen to care for him, had he ever been offered the option as a child. Those days were long gone, but the longing for a family was never far from his thoughts.
“Sister.” Delilah nodded and slid her hand into Canter’s. “We want to read through the archives.”
Canter squeezed her hand as if thanking her for recognizing his heartache. “We’ll clean up after ourselves, of course.”
She chuckled. “I’m good with you two bookworms spending your time in that dusty old library. At least someone still loves it. It seems like no one else comes as much as you guys. Let me know if you need anything.” She turned and walked away, retreating into a door on the left. The long hallway before them was overrun with doors to choose from, each leading to a different place.
“It’s almost a maze of sorts down here.” Canter patted Delilah’s hand as it rested in his and pulled her toward the door that would lead them to the library. Deep in the heart of the massive room was the archives. He wasn’t sure what Delilah’s purposes for being there were, but he was in search of the book of beginnings. The first, the alpha, the original. It had to give him a clue as to how it all began, and what part he played in it.
His parents had to have been in the lineage of the hunters, or he wouldn’t be one of them, but who were they, and why was he left alone to fend for himself?
“I’m going to spend some time in the archives.” Delilah reached out and gripped the golden door handle. “You want to stick together, or are you good with some alone time?” The sad chill rolling off of her friend left her worried about his thoughts, his longings.
“I’m good.” He pulled his hand from hers and moved into the enormous library behind her. “I’ll find you later, yeah?” he called over his shoulder, winking.
“Yes.” She walked toward the archives, but paused for a moment. Turning to face him, she wrapped her arms around herself. “Hey. Real quick.”
“Yeah?” He stopped and turned back, reached up and adjusted his thick black glasses. “What’s up?”
“Did you see Jarreth this morning?”
“No. He was still snoring when I got dressed and headed out. I’m sure he’s going to sleep most of the day away like he always does when we have evening training.” He offered a tight smirk. “Why? Worried he got that old woman to take him home and cuddle him up last night?”
Delilah laughed loudly before clamping her hands over her mouth. The walls whispered, “Shhhh!” to her.
She dropped her hands to her side and smiled. “No. I just wondered where he was.”
“Asleep.” Canter stood there a moment longer, watching her. “Did you really see a man last night at the bar, or were you pulling my chain?”
Her eyes narrowed in question. “Do you have a chain to pull?”
“Don’t ask questions that you do not want the answer to.” He winked and waited for her response.
“I saw a man. I’m here today to look for answers to who he is or maybe who he was.”
“A ghost?” Canter asked.
“No clue. I’ll let you know when I find out. I’ll see you later at training.” She turned and walked toward the archives as excitement filled the center of her chest. There were answers somewhere within the books around her. She might not be able to locate them that day, or any day soon, but each book she picked up would bring her closer to understanding, to wisdom.
Her chest tightened as she paused outside of the archives.
Wisdom was her mother’s greatest trait. Glancing up, she let her eyes move along the pictures of the hunters before her, each one honored on the great wall beyond the archives. No one was granted the use of their last name on the plaque beside their picture because they were reborn into a new family—a family of great purpose and exalted positioning. They were the ones that would fend off evil for humanity and keep goodness flowing through the veins of the world until the end of the ages.
“And I’m one of them,” she whispered and reached for the door. It was their time, and the Huntress would be arriving soon. She could almost feel the tension mixed with excitement deep inside of her.
She needed foreknowledge of what was coming, and wisdom to know what to do with all of it when the time came.
But first? She needed to understand the entity in the bar the day before. There was something about him that plagued her.
After dreams of blood and death, battle and sacrifice, she was emotionally crippled with a deep-seated fear that both Canter and Jarreth were right—they weren’t ready, nor were they close to good enough.
Cold air smacked her in the face as she pulled the door to the archives open. The scent of earth filled her nose. Walking into the intimate area, Delilah closed the door behind her and pressed her back against it. With a deep breath and quick meditation on her reasoning for being there, she was centered.
She looked through book after book in search of something related to power, dark power, or the ancient ones. Nothing. Frustration raged inside of her as the time drew closer and closer to their training session. She couldn’t be late without having Father Till call her out in front of everyone. Where it hadn’t been too much of a problem when she was younger, she was a woman now. Respecting the agenda of the church was part of what made her who she was.
“Come on,” she whispered through tight vocal chords. “Give me something. Anything.”
She walked toward the door with a prayer for help in her thoughts. A soft flash of light caught her attention as she reached the last shelf before the door. Spinning on the ball of her foot, she walked toward the bookshelf and reached for a thick, brown book with words she couldn’t decipher on the cover.
The binding warmed against the palm of her hand, and tears filled her eyes. There was something holy about being led to the truth, something right and good in knowing that she wasn’t alone, no matter how much that cold truth begged her to believe its lie.
“Show me something.” She sat down and opened the book, flipping through the pages until she reached pictures in the center of the book. Angels and demons played out the history of creation and the fall, each picture more intense as she flipped the pages.
Her breath caught in her chest as she reached the last image in the book.
She put a hand on the book, tapping the picture. “Who are you?” She leaned closer to inspect the dark figure that lounged in some corner of an establishment back in history. His dark hair was slicked back, his eyes were filled with knowledge, and his lips curled into a seductive smile. Beautiful alabaster skin stretched across his impossibly handso
me face. It was him, and where that should have bothered her deeply, the woman seated beside him caused Delilah’s stomach to tighten and her heart to almost stop.
She’d never seen the Ancient One of the hunters, the Great Huntress, before, but that didn’t demean the fact that upon seeing her for the first time, Delilah knew who the woman was.
What was she doing with the devil? And was he the devil or something far worse?
In the picture, the woman’s eyes moved downward toward the table and tears dripped down her cheeks. A scream ripped from Delilah’s lips, and she slammed the book shut.
She stood and backed away from the table. With muscles locked and innards trembling, Delilah stared at the book in horror. What did it mean? Was their hope, their help, their salvation nothing more than a wolf in sheep’s clothing? Surely not.
“Delilah!” The door behind her swung open, causing her to spin around and scream again.
Canter laughed and walked toward her. “She’s here. Whatever we had to do? We did it. The Huntress is here. I can feel her in my bones. Come on. Let’s go see what she has to teach us. She is the one to unlock the power that’s deep inside of us.”
But was that the truth? Was the Great Huntress really great? Was she all-powerful and a friend to the church? If so, where had she been, and what had brought her back?
Only time would tell.
—
How Laurie and I Met
I met Laurie in 2016 at a mastermind group meetup in Austin, Tx. She and I were two of the ones who were traveling down a very similar path in our publishing efforts and therefore, some of our questions naturally could be answered by the other.
Right before the 20BooksTo50k-Vegas event last month, I talked to her about some of her services and one of them, I wanted to know more about.
We spoke only for a few minutes in Vegas, but that was enough to set us on a path that seven weeks later includes us sharing knowledge, passion for creating new stories with depth and kick ass characters and helping new (or struggling) authors to find their voices and a following.
And that is what caused a person of Laurie’s caliber and character to say… “I want to collaborate on a Universe with you.”
Why? Because her publishing company puts out a SHIT-TON of books each month already. The Seven Sons is a Universe that I get to help play in, and share our resources and efforts and another amazing publishing company is becoming a ‘cousin’ if you will to LMBPN.
But, she is publishing, not me.
So, if you get a chance sometime, track her ass down and welcome her to the group. She is about to help change seven authors futures in 2018.
I guaran-fucking-tee it.
Here is my small write-up about her:
Laurie Starkey is a USA Today Best Seller under her pen name, Ali Parker. She is a former CPA who has now turned into a best selling fiction writer. She has written over 130 books over the last three (3) years.
Presently, she lives in Houston Texas with hubs (Jacob) & 3 kiddos. I happen to know Jacob likes the Chocolate Pinata at Uncle Julios in Grapevine, Tx.
She writes under six (6) pen names.
Each pen name writes a specific type of genre / sexual content. So, if you like clean, to erotic (all Romance) there is a pen name for you to check out.
Or, if you are just curious ;-)
Link to Pen Names -- http://aliparkerbooks.com/pen-names/
Take care you great and amazing reader!
I’m blessed you are in my life.
- Michael
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I hope you enjoy the book!
Michael Anderle - Final Bethany Anne book of 2017.
Books by Michael Anderle
For a complete list of Kurtherian Gambit Universe
books please click this link.
Kurtherian Gambit Series Titles Include:
First Arc
Death Becomes Her (01) - Queen Bitch (02) - Love Lost (03) - Bite This (04)
Never Forsaken (05) - Under My Heel (06) - Kneel Or Die (07)
Second Arc
We Will Build (08) - It’s Hell To Choose (09) - Release The Dogs of War (10)
Sued For Peace (11) - We Have Contact (12) - My Ride is a Bitch (13)
Don’t Cross This Line (14)
Third Arc (2017)
Never Submit (15) - Never Surrender (16) - Forever Defend (17)
Might Makes Right (18) - Ahead Full (19) - Capture Death (20)
Life Goes On (21)
The Second Dark Ages
The Dark Messiah (01)
The Darkest Night (02)
Darkest Before The Dawn (03)
*with Ell Leigh Clarke*
The Boris Chronicles
* With Paul C. Middleton *
Evacuation
Retaliation
Revelations
Redemption 2017
Reclaiming Honor
* With JUSTIN SLOAN *
Justice Is Calling (01)
Claimed By Honor (02)
Judgement Has Fallen (03)
Angel of Reckoning (04)
Born Into Flames (05)
Defending The Lost (06)
Saved By Valor (07)
Return of Victory (08)
The Etheric Academy
* With TS PAUL *
ALPHA CLASS (01)
ALPHA CLASS - Engineering (02)
Terry Henry “TH” Walton Chronicles
* With CRAIG MARTELLE *
Nomad Found (01)
Nomad Redeemed (02)
Nomad Unleashed (03)
Nomad Supreme (04)
Nomad’s Fury (05)
Nomad’s Justice (06)
Nomad Avenged (07)
Nomad Mortis (08)
Nomad’s Force (09)
Nomad’s Galaxy (10)
Trials and Tribulations
* With Natalie Grey *
Risk Be Damned (01)
Damned to Hell (02)
The Age of Magic
The Rise of Magic
* With CM Raymond / LE Barbant *
Restriction (01)
Reawakening (02)
Rebellion (03)
Revolution (04)
Unlawful Passage (05)
Darkness Rises (06)
The Gods Beneath (07)
Reborn (08)
The Hidden Magic Chronicles
* With Justin Sloan *
Shades of Light (01)
Shades of Dark (02)
Shades of Glory (03)
Shades of Justice (04)
Storms of Magic
*With PT Hylton*
Storm Raiders (01)
Storm Callers (02)
Storm Breakers (03)
Storm Warrior (04)
Tales of the Feisty Druid
*With Candy Crum*
The Arcadian Druid (01)
The Undying Illusionist (02)
The Frozen Wasteland (03)
The Deceiver (04)
The Lost (05)
Path of Heroes
*With Brandon Barr*
Rogue Mage (01)
A New Dawn
*With Amy Hopkins*
Dawn of Destiny (01)
Dawn of Darkness (02)
&
nbsp; Dawn of Deliverance (03)
Dawn of Days (04)
The Age of Expansion
The Ascension Myth
* With Ell Leigh Clarke *
Awakened (01)
Activated (02)
Called (03)
Sanctioned (04)
Rebirth (05)
Retribution (06)
Cloaked (07)
Rogue Operator (07.5)
Confessions of a Space Anthropologist
* With Ell Leigh Clarke *
Giles Kurns: Rogue Operator (01)
The Uprise Saga
* With Amy DuBoff *
Covert Talents (01)
Endless Advance (02)
Veiled Designs (03)
Bad Company
* With Craig Martelle*
The Bad Company (01)
Blockade (02)
The Ghost Squadron
* With Sarah Noffke and J.N. Chaney*
Formation (01)
Exploration (02)
Evolution (03)
Valerie’s Elites
* With Justin Sloan and PT Hylton *
Valerie’s Elites (01)
Etheric Adventures: Anne and Jinx
*With S.R. Russell*
Etheric Recruit
Etheric Researcher
Capture Death Page 26